iBeacon uses?

[adamfox]

Hi! I'm thinking about ordering some iBeacons and actually purchased this (http://store.radiusnetworks.com/collections/all/products/macbeacon) in the interim. I'm just wondering what clever uses everyone has found for these and also wondering if in iViri there is any way to define distance so that a virtual switch is triggered only when in the same room as a particular beacon.


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[jpete7683]

I have 3 estimotes that I can use their app to define the distance to broadcast the signal and how often it is signaling.  The reason iViri doesn't allow for distance is because the API is very restrictive on the apple side, meaning they just report back Immediate, Far, Near, etc.... and there is no way to actually give an exact 5ft, 10ft, etc... So with how many different beacons out there, I decided that most of them allow you to change their distance that the user should control it on the beacon side and not in the app as there is no good control for it and I know I would be spending more time on enhancements in the app for this than I have the time for.  iBeacons is are not a science just yet but hopefully apple continues with the technology and enhances the developers capabilities around it.

[adamfox]

Any cool uses you've found? The most interesting to me at this point, aside from turning off/on lights in rooms, which I worry could be a bit problematic is to have a beacon near the front door that unlocks my Kwikset lock when my wife or I approaches.


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[jpete7683]

Any cool uses you've found? The most interesting to me at this point, aside from turning off/on lights in rooms, which I worry could be a bit problematic is to have a beacon near the front door that unlocks my Kwikset lock when my wife or I approaches.


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So I have 3 of them.  One is at the front entrance and it unlocks the door as I approach and 20 seconds after I get past it the door locks again.  One is in my bedroom that turns on my lights when I walk in the room and if both me and my wife are in the room for more than 60 minutes and it is after a certain time of night it will run a shutdown of my home assuming we are in bed.  Finally I have one in the kitchen and if it is after dark and I walk in there it turns on all of the lights and turns them back off when I walk out 20 seconds later.

[macrho]

too cool of a use, had to order some for myself 

[jpete7683]

too cool of a use, had to order some for myself 

Which ones did you order?

[macrho]

Which ones did you order?

the estimote, 3 of them for $99

[jpete7683]

Which ones did you order?

the estimote, 3 of them for $99

They are a great company to work with.  I don't explicitly incorporate their SDK because I want to be able to adapt to all beacons on the market and not force users to one specific vendor, but they have been a very responsible company to work with when issues creeped up.  MCV support could learn a few things from this company as they have answered all questions I have had and responded immediately to emails within 24hrs.  Also they shipped me new cases for mine when the battery took died.  So yea I had to purchase new batteries which I got 5 for $5 on amazon and they gave me all new enclosures so they would once again be water proof after changing the battery!

[macrho]

Their shipping certainly takes a while. I finally took delivery of 3 estimotes, now time to set them up 

[macrho]

This is working quite nicely. My front door now unlocks for me when I'm about 2 feet away. After 20 seconds or so, it automatically locks. No longer do I have to physically unlock it or enter numbers on the keypad. This feature makes the purchase well worth it! I think the next piece to tackle is opening my garage door when I'm coming in the driveway. Now if I order a kegbot, I could have a cool draft waiting for me 

[tb001]

This is working quite nicely. My front door now unlocks for me when I'm about 2 feet away. After 20 seconds or so, it automatically locks. No longer do I have to physically unlock it or enter numbers on the keypad. This feature makes the purchase well worth it! I think the next piece to tackle is opening my garage door when I'm coming in the driveway. Now if I order a kegbot, I could have a cool draft waiting for me 

Very cool! I'd like to do something similar. How is the responsiveness of the iBeacons? Do you find yourself waiting for them to 'catch' or are they pretty reliable?

[macrho]

Very cool! I'd like to do something similar. How is the responsiveness of the iBeacons? Do you find yourself waiting for them to 'catch' or are they pretty reliable?

so far it has been very responsive, the door is usually unlocked when I get there or within a half second. I've been very happy with it, no pin to enter.. door is simply unlocked for me

[adamfox]

marcho and jpete, you both find the Estimotes to be pretty responsive? I'm actually having trouble with mine. I have in estimote near the front door and it takes a solid 5-10 seconds before the door will unlock. I've played around with the range settings in the Estimote app as well and have had no luck. My range estimates seem way off as well, btw. Either of you experienced anything similar?


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[macrho]

I've actually started to notice a little strange behavior lately. The other day, my door wouldn't unlock when I came up to it. The previous day there was a 5 to 10 second delay as I stood there

I'll try doing a bit more troubleshooting this week and see what I can find

[jpete7683]

marcho and jpete, you both find the Estimotes to be pretty responsive? I'm actually having trouble with mine. I have in estimote near the front door and it takes a solid 5-10 seconds before the door will unlock. I've played around with the range settings in the Estimote app as well and have had no luck. My range estimates seem way off as well, btw. Either of you experienced anything similar?


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Try setting the advertisement interval at 50MS.  The more often it broadcast, the more accurate the app will be, especially running in the background.